THEIR ORIGIN, HISTORY, TENETS, AND INFLUENCE. 301 
in a worldly way, or in any unworthy way, by the religion which 
they put forward, and which we believe to be the true one. 
Rev. G. F. Wuinporne, M.A., etc.—I suppose this paper was 
written last year, Mr. Chairman ? 
The SecreTary.—Yes. 
Rev. G. F. Wutpporne.—Because in the fifth line on the first 
page the author refers to “the middle of the last century,” which 
jooks like an anachronism. I suppose he means the middle of the 
eighteenth century. 
The Secrerary.— Yes, 
Dr. H. W. Hupsarp.—Some years ago I was travelling in the 
wild districts of North Africa, and I came in contact with a large 
caravan of pilgrims to Mecca, and amongst them I remember 
hearing there were Wahabis, and I chatted with them, but I must 
tell you that they were in a very low social state. They were not 
allowed to change their clothes for the term of pilgrimage. LI 
was afraid at first to go amongst them. I went over with Colonel 
Pakenham from Gibraltar to North Africa. They were very lightly 
clothed. It was very hot weather, and they only had vessels con- 
taining water made out of bullocks’ skins; each I do not suppose 
contained more than two or three gallons of water. Every man 
had a skin of water, bis only possession, and they were not 
allowed to wash until they arrived at Mecca. We bought two or 
three daggers and some steel beads of them; so they were in- 
clined to be sociable and were very peaceable. 
The Secretary.—I should like to mention, Mr. Chairman, that 
although I have not been in Mecca myself, I have been not very 
far from it. I was associated with an expedition to the Arabian 
Peninsula, and when we were encamped at Akabah we were 
startled, one day, by an extraordinary noise of drums and loud 
shouting, and on looking out from our tents we saw a large party 
of pilgrims just returning from Mecca. We did not feel very 
comfortable, for they were known nct to be celebrated for their 
extreme honesty, or even for leaving the property of the native 
Arabs of the district untouched when they were found in a 
sufficiently helpless condition not to resist. The condition of 
Mecca, the shrine of these pilgrims, appears by all accounts to be 
deplorable. 
I think we may consider that Mohammedanism is the greatest 
impediment on the face of the globe to progress of any kind, 
